ctivity kept him undermost, wreathing his
long arms above those of his prisoner, who called out angrily, and yet
half-laughing at the same time--"Hamako--fool--unloose me--this passes
thy privilege--unloose me, or I will use my dagger."

"Thy dagger!--infidel dog!" said the figure in the goat-skins, "hold it
in thy gripe if thou canst!" and in an instant he wrenched the Saracen's
weapon out of its owner's hand, and brandished it over his head.

"Help, Nazarene!" cried Sheerkohf, now seriously alarmed; "help, or the
Hamako will slay me."

"Slay thee!" replied the dweller of the desert; "and well hast thou
merited death, for singing thy blasphemous hymns, not only to the praise
of thy false prophet, who is the foul fiend's harbinger, but to that of
the Author of Evil himself."

The Christian Knight had hitherto looked on as one stupefied, so
strangely had this rencontre contradicted, in its progress and event,
all that he had previously conjectured. He felt, however, at length,
that it touched his honour to interfere in behalf of his discomfited
companion, and therefore addressed himself to the victorious figure in
the goat-skins.

"Whosoe'er thou art," he said, "and whether of good or of evil, know
that I am sworn for the time to be true companion to the Saracen whom
thou holdest under thee; therefore, I pray thee to let him arise, else I
will do battle with thee in his behalf."

"And a proper quarrel it were," answered the Hamako, "for a Crusader to
do battle in--for the sake of an unbaptized dog, to combat one of his
own holy faith! Art thou come forth to the wilderness to fight for the
Crescent against the Cross? A goodly soldier of God art thou to listen
to those who sing the praises of Satan!"

Yet, while he spoke thus, he arose himself, and, suffering the Saracen
to rise also, returned him his cangiar, or poniard.

"Thou seest to what a point of peril thy presumption hath brought thee,"
continued he of the goat-skins, now addressing Sheerkohf, "and by what
weak means thy practised skill and boasted agility can be foiled, when
such is Heaven's pleasure. Wherefore, beware, O Ilderim! for know that,
were there not a twinkle in the star of thy nativity which promises for
thee something that is good and gracious in Heaven's good time, we
two had not parted till I had torn asunder the throat which so lately
trilled forth blasphemies."

"Hamako," said the Saracen, without any appearance of resenting the
violent